Pairing Wine with Persian Food

Burke Owens

Persian food, while uniquely different from western European or traditional American cuisine, happily combines the familiar with the exotic. Typical foods found in the Persian pantry include pistachios, pomegranates, limes, saffron, rose petals, orange blossoms, silver angelica, nigella seeds, cumin, cilantro, onion, garlic, rosewater, mint, dill, yogurt, angelica, tarragon, fenugreek, ginger, barberries, walnuts, cherries, dates, fava beans, eggplant, spinach, lamb, chicken, duck, tamarind, cardamom, sumac, rice, chickpeas, lentils, barley, cracked wheat, figs, oranges, grapes, unripe grapes (verjuice) and grape molasses (boiled down grape juice). It is the sophisticated manner in which such ingredients are combined that make this ancient cuisine endlessly fascinating for wine lovers.